


Karaoke Night at the Graveyard

by LeeMorrigan



Category: 6 Underground (2019)
Genre: Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilera - Freeform, Gen, Karaoke, Lady Gagy, Madonna - Freeform, R.E.M. - Freeform, Team Building Exercises, junk store finds, usher - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22344574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeMorrigan/pseuds/LeeMorrigan
Summary: When Four | Billy makes a find of real treasure at his favorite junk store, he is able to wire up a cool karaoke system for the team, and he hosts a party on his back patio behind his trailer at the graveyard. The system is set to Random, on a 3-disc changer, and fun ensues. Also introduces Duke, the man who feeds Wally when everyone is away.
Relationships: Five | Amelia & One (6 Underground), Four | Billy & Seven | Blaine (6 Underground), One (6 Underground) & Two | Camille (6 Underground), Seven | Blaine & Three | Javier, Team & OC, Three | Javier/Two | Camille (6 Underground), Two | Camille & Five | Amelia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Karaoke Night at the Graveyard

**Author's Note:**

> Minor cussing (basically two cuss words)
> 
> Trigger Warning: They all sing karaoke in the desert, although Duke reflects on being a homeless veteran and One reflects on not only the loss of Six, but how he came to finally see his team as people and not cogs in the machine.
> 
> See End Notes for song titles/artist.

Four checked his wires again. It had been a while since he worked with wiring outside of a car, so he was a little rusty. Tongue caught between lips, he made one final connection and waited. No fires. No sparks. The rest of his electronics continued to work.

“YES!”, he cheered as he shook his hands over his head in triumph.

Four got up and did a small victory dance in front of his Frankenstein machine. Then he pulled out the box of discs he had purchased last month, and selected three to try out the machine. Best of 2004, Dance Hits of 2009, and Soundtrack Karaoke 2010. All that was left to do was hit PLAY, so he did.

The machine clicked a couple times, then the little 3-disc tray spun around, the reader arm dropping to select Disc 3. There was a small humming noise and then a Backstreet Boys song filled the air. Not Four’s favorite band, admittedly. He was only glad this was working.

Once more, he double-checked that the machine was stable on the little wooden deck he had built behind his trailer, allowing him to have a late night patio to hang out on. He had gotten cheap camping lights, one set shaped like owls the other shaped like Tiki heads, in a variety of colors, giving the whole area a warm glow at night. He had checked it the night before.

Next, he dragged out three folding camping chairs he had gotten at the same junk store he got the karaoke machine in. He got a couple citronella burners, a small party light that he set atop the karaoke machine, and he laid out several glow stick necklaces, bracelets, and other shapes on the two little tables he had borrowed from Three.

Three was the only other teammate who had any idea what Four had in mind for this evening. In part, because Three’s help would be needed to get Two involved. For another reason, the man was genuinely fun to work with whenever Four wanted to build or repair something around the graveyard, so he had guessed Three would be fun to work with on a less dire project. He had been right.

“So what’ya doing, sunshine? Feng shui?”

Turning to look at their leader, Four grinned.

“Team building exercise.”

“What?”

“Okay, more of a stress reliever, but those create the same hormone in your brain that lets you bond with the people sharing the experiences with you, so it still counts as a Team Building Exercise.”

“Stop being a nerd, and answer my question.”

Their leader sounded more exasperated than usual this evening.

“Karaoke.”

“Karaoke?”, he parroted questioningly.

“Yeah.”

“Fucking millennials.”

One walked off, shaking his head as he slid his sunglasses back on. Four shrugged it off. Truthfully, he had not expected One to join in.

“Come on, One? It’ll be fun. I’ve got Brittney Spears!”

One’s only response was to flip Four off over his shoulder. The younger man grinned, figuring that One was alright since he did respond. Four then turned the opposite direction, ready to go recruit Two, Three, Five, and Seven to come karaoke.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two seated herself in one of the two bean bag chairs that Three had dragged over, in matching bright red. Five took the other one, smiling over at Two as she passed a beer over. Three was helping Four pick out some tunes and Seven was seated in a folding camping chair with a hideous green plaid pattern and some rust on one corner. It didn’t appear to matter to the soldier as he sipped a cold mixed drink.

“Alright, whose first?”, Four called.

Three grabbed another mixed drink Two couldn’t remember the name of, and he seated himself in another hideous plaid camp chair, this one in orange and yellow. He looked like a kid going to a birthday party.

“Not me.”, Three offered.

“Have to wet my pipes first.”, he added.

Two smirked. She had heard Three sing.

“You are the host, how about you go first.”, Seven suggested.

“I agree.”, Five chimed in.

“Well, there are five of us here. We can assign Seven as a one, and roll a di. See who goes first.”

“Where will we get dice? And don’t say an app, I don’t trust your phone.”, Five said as she pointed an accusing finger at Four.

“I’ve got some in a game. Be right back.”, he said before leaping up onto the roof of his trailer so he could get through the front door.

“Kids.”, Seven muttered under his breath.

A moment later, Four dove back down off the rooftop and onto the little wooden patio. He had a pair of dice and he offered them to Five.

“You roll.”

“Fine by me. Okay, here we go, honors of the First Song go to…”, she rolled one di.

“Seven.”

“No.”

They all looked over at him.

“What, you’re one on the dice, and it rolled a one. Get a move on.”

“How do I know they aren’t loaded?”

Four arched an eyebrow.

“Why would I have loaded dice in a board game? I buy them at the junk store for a couple bucks. Come on, get up there!”

Three and Five whistled, cheering Seven as he begrudgingly got up and walked over to the little machine. Four had explained it was set to Random Shuffle, so they just had to hit a number between 1 and 3 to pick a disc. They would pick blind, cause Seven, Two, and Five didn’t see the discs.

“Four, if Justin Bieber comes up, I’m going to shoot you.”

“Deal.”

Hitting the 1-button, he waited. A vaguely familiar drum solo began and suddenly the words came up on the separate screen Four had rigged up, signaling for Seven to begin singing. He smiled, remembering the song.

“That’s great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, and airplane, Lenny Bruce is not afraid.”

Two and Three looked between each other, a bit confused. Five had her hands over her mouth, holding back a laugh while Four chuckled over his drink. It was a bit difficult, with the speed of the utterances in the song, though Seven managed to keep up with only minor flubs. Shaking his head as he got to the part about the Furies, he kept going with the song.

“It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”

Two seemed to recognize it finally, and was nodding her head slightly to the beat. Four was pretending to play drums while Five played air guitar. Three grinned, pulling out a lighter and waving the little flame as Seven jammed on. Near the end of the song, Three and Five were muttering along with huge smiles on their faces. Four was getting Two another drink and she was still nodding along to the beat.

Once it came to a close, Seven took a bow and Five stood, shouting. Three clapped beside Two, and Four gave his teammate a double Thumbs Up as he grinned at the soldier. Five whistled once more between her fingers, earning a chuckle from the soldier as he made his way back to his seat.

“Alright, who’s next?”, he asked before resuming his drink.

Four looked over at Five.

“Roll ‘em.”

She grabbed the di she hadn’t used before, and rolled it across the one tabletop. Everyone watched as it slowed and stopped with 5 dots showing. Five grinned while playfully growling. Seven, more than the rest, urged her to the makeshift stage. She was a good sport and went without a fight. Up front, she opted for Disc 1. The machine clicked a couple times, them hummed as the changer moved into place.

Five moved her eyes to the black and white TV screen that had been a portable with a VHS player in the bottom, before Four hot-wired it to the karaoke machine. The screen on the 4ft tall machine, was smashed beyond saving when he purchased it and now was electrical-tape covered with a little party light stuck to it. The music started and Five instantly recognized it. She was never going to live this one down.

“Hey there sugar-baby, saw you twice at the pop show. You taste just like glitter mixed with rock and roll. I like you a lot- lot. Think you’re really hot-hot.”, she started.

Two had her face down in her hands while Seven and Three were holding up lighters and cheering. Four, meanwhile, was smiling wide and looking right at her. Five just couldn’t believe she had gotten Lady Gaga.

“Boys! Boys! Boys! We like boys in cars. Boys! Boys! Boys! Buy us drinks in bars! Boys! Boys! Boys!”, she belted out to her little crowd.

As she continued the song, Two beebopped a bit in her seat with an amused little grin. Seven and Three decided to stand and mime singing along with her. Four was rolling. Five moved as far as the mic would allow for the final verse, dancing between Three nd Seven, pretending to be instructing them with the lyrics about nicknames and eggs for breakfast.

She barely finished before she was overtaken with laughter, leaning on Seven to keep from falling over. Three eagerly grabbed the di and shook it in his hand.

“Who’s next?”

Five stepped forward to take the di. He handed it over to her without a fuss, though his grin betrayed his genuine mirth at Four’s party. Five tossed the di and waited with everyone.”

“What, no. I was just up.”

Seven shook his head.

“Nope, you can only decline if it rolls for you to sing a third time. Doubles are allowed.”

“Who died and made you boss?”, she argued.

“Technically, we all died and I made myself boss. Go on, killer. Pick another song.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sitting in a trailer down the way from them, and old man sat beside Wally, in an old rocking chair. He had been One’s second recruit, after Two. Duke had been traveling, staying here and there across the country. He got jobs when he needed the money, moved on when he felt he wasn’t wanted or there was nothing left to see in the area. There wasn’t much cause for an old soldier to hang around in most places.

Till, one afternoon when he was looking for a place to sleep, he stumbled across a boneyard of old planes. Back when he was Active Duty, he had been a mechanic. The old planes called like a familiar voice in the darkness. Duke had wandered out to look at the planes. He had been lost in his own little dreamworld when he heard a small growl.

It had been Wally. Big, slobbery mutt. Duke had loved the big guy right off. He had crouched and talked gently to the giant until he heard a voice order Wally off. He was a loyal watchdog. His human had been a bit harder to read. Sad eyes haunted by something that he couldn’t reconcile with his prior, blissfully unaware, old life. Yet, he had sarcasm and odd rules, a detachment born of a lack of attachment rather than a lack of empathy.

He had told Duke he could stay the night. He didn’t ask questions and he didn’t try to preach. Duke appreciated that. That night, he had slept in an old plane. He woke to Wally laying his giant head on Duke’s chest, rousing him from nightmares of the past. Duke had scratched Wally behind his stumpy ears and thanked him.

Over a breakfast of drive-through sandwiches and coffee, the strange man introduced himself and the other lone inhabitant of this ghost town. One was the leader, Two was the blonde with the French accent, and Wally was the dog. One explained that he and Two were part of a yet-to-be-fully-assembled team who traveled the world and got rid of the trash. They needed someone to feed Wally and to, frankly, make sure vandals didn’t burn anything down in their absence.

“I could offer you a trailer of your choice. Furnish it as you please. I provide food money, electricity, running water, and in return, you feed and care for Wally when we’re gone, and… keep an eye on the place.”

“What if I want to leave?”

“As long as you don’t leave Wally alone when we’re gone, no commitments. You can leave when you want.”

Duke had considered it for a moment. A warm bed on cold nights, a loyal canine to care for, and space to himself.

“You’ve got a deal, One.”

“Good. I’m only going to ask one question.”

Duke nodded.

“What do you want to be called?”

He considered for a moment. He could go by his rank, as he had often when he stayed in a place. Some people simply called him ‘Soldier’ over the years. None of them worked. He preferred his old boxing moniker. The one his grandfather had gifted him with so many years ago.

“Duke.”

The younger man nodded.

“Alright Duke. Welcome to the graveyard.”

With that, the younger man had gotten up and walked off. He had been true to his word. He asked no questions, he made no demands, he provided money for groceries, water and electricity had been set up on the trailer Duke had picked out at the opposite end of the space from One and Two’s trailers, and Duke kept the place safe and Wally fed.

Most nights, Wally slept in One’s trailer, but he always came and woke Duke in the morning. Mornings were the worst with his nightmares, so he appreciated the dog’s timing. When the team were gone, Duke continued to stay in his own trailer, he just had Wally sleeping on a twin mattress next to his own. He had never gotten the hang of sleeping up in a real bed when he got back home.

Wally leaned into the head scratch as Duke sipped his ice-cold beer. He had very much appreciated having his own refrigerator in his trailer. He could have leftovers in there, beer, and bottles of water. It was heavenly to him. And, on his front little deck, he had his rocking chair and a little metal table to one side, usually Wally on the other.

“Those kids are a bit funny, huh Wal?”

The dog snorted.

“Yeah. Girl can sing though. I’ll give her that. Songs are a bit… odd.”

Wally snorted again, then settled back into the deck. Duke smiled fondly at the dog and then sipped his beer. Life did not get much better than this. The end of a beautiful sunset, the distant sound of his neighbors enjoying a fun evening, and somewhere he was sure One was keeping an eye on them all. And all with Wally at Duke’s side on his little porch. Nope, life did not get much better than this.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Amelia rolled the di again and they waited, all of them a bit giddy and herself somewhat tipsy. Two was the only one who had remained mostly sober and quiet, unsurprisingly. The di rolled up a 3 and they all turned to Javier. He put his drink aside and grinned as he launched himself up out of his chair.

“Wait till you hear this. I will ruin you all for any future singers.”

He hit the button, selecting the new Disc 1, as Four had changed them out two songs ago when the player refused to play one of them and Seven insisted on discs that did not include any more Lady Gaga or N’Sync. As soon as the music started, Javier had to pause it to allow himself to chuckle. Looking out, he could see Amelia was already doubled over, along with Billy. Blaine seemed as if he was still listening, a bit confused at the reactions of his three teammates, while Camille had a perfectly shaped eyebrow arched, her ice blue eyes looking right into his soul.

He hit PLAY again and the music picked back up. The first lyrics appeared on the black and white TV screen, including the three-word spoken intro. Striking a pose that allowed him to still read the screen, Javier played it up as if this were a lip sync battle royal.

“It’s Brittney, Bitch.”, he started, met with howling laughter from everyone except Camille, who simply smiled.

“I see you. And I just wanna dance with you. Every time they turn the lights on, just wanna go that extra mile for you.”, he sang as he pointed out to Camille.

“Public display of affection, feels like no one else in the room.”

Blaine cupped his hand around his mouth, calling out, “GET A ROOM!”

Amelia nearly fell out of her chair laughing, tears streaking down her tanned cheeks that had gone bright from her laughter and a touch of tequila. Billy was shaking his head, his pale face now fully pink and getting darker as he laughed.

Javier danced around, making the most of his hip movements as he sang, “GIMMIE GIMMIE”, and strutted across the little stage. He had a vague memory of the video having a stripper theme, so he pretended to pole dance a bit on the one upright beam where one corner of the lights were anchored from Billy stringing them up overhead. Amelia was almost hiding the top half of her body in Billy’s lap, she was laughing so hard, while Billy rubbed her back and watched, trying not to hurt himself laughing. Blaine sat back, looking as confused as amused.

Camille, however, had That Grin. The one Javier knew meant he was getting lucky later. She had not broken eye contact with him since he started and he was loving it. He would never tire of seeing that look in her cold blue eyes, when they fell on his body.

As the song came to a close, Javier put the mic back on the machine and waited. Sure enough, his team cheered him of, with Blaine telling him that he was crazy. Billy wanted to know where Javier had learned those dance moves. Javier wanted only his drink and Camille.

Blaine motioned for Amelia to roll again to see who was next. It was clear he was hoping it wouldn’t be him and that maybe it would be Javier again. They had all enjoyed Javier’s performances, so far. Amelia rolled a 2.

“Well, Frenchie, it looks like you’re finally up. What’d you do, threaten the dice so they didn’t roll on you so often?”, Blaine asked.

Camille stood, fixing him with a look that would make lesser men flinch or wet themselves. Ever since she had crafted her façade of piercing coldness, she had taken a great deal of pleasure in seeing the fear it struck in many of the men she had worked with, and even more so in the men she worked against.

“Quality over quantity, mister every-other-roll.”

In her peripheral, she spotted Javier grinning behind his drink. He loved it when she was a little evil. In fact, he loved it when she was very evil. The man was drunk in love with her, and made no secret of it, least of all to her. What she had done to deserve such deep and open care, she did not know. It must have been good. Maybe she had been a saint in a former life.

She went to their little stage and considered for a moment. It seemed Disc 3 had gotten a lot of play lately, less so for Disc 1. She smiled. 2 it was. Camille hit the button to make her selection, then stepped back. A click signaled the movement of the mechanism inside the karaoke machine, then a hum as the arm came down to pick her song for her.

When the lyrics popped onto the little black and white screen, Camille got an idea. A terrible idea. Grinning, she read the lyrics and quickly translated them into her native tongue. Camille half-whispered the intro in English, holding off as her teammates listened intently to the soft tones.

Then she broke into the singing portion of Usher’s BURN, letting her accent thicken to Full French as she gently swayed to the soft beat. Blaine threw a handful of popcorn in her direction, showing his displeasure.

“Cheating! Cheating! Now we can’t tell if you’re screwing up the words.”, he argued.

Amelia bit her lower lip, smiling as she swayed left and right to the beat while Billy sat next to her, smiling over his drink. Like everyone, he had started adding layers once the sun went down and his hoodie made him look even younger than he usually did. Amelia was sporting one of Billy’s hoodies as well, the thing too bulky on her thinner frame, though it was very domestic and cute. Not that Camille would admit to noticing such a thing.

Then, as she was getting to the part where Usher complains about too many days and hours, Camille looked over at Javier. Unlike the others, he was not smiling and enjoying his drink. No. He was gazing at her as if mesmerized. His dark eyes held unrestrained love, his mouth hanging open slightly, and she swore he was barely breathing.

Camille was almost sad to end the song, in light of Javier’s response. Once it concluded, she gave a curtsy playfully, then walked back towards her seat. She did not, however, make it all the way to her bean bag chair. Javier reached out, gently catching her at the hips and tugging to hint that he’d like her to join him on the little wooden bench he had dragged over from his place, earlier. She obliged him.

If he asked, she was saw she was cold in her sleeveless shirt and thin slacks. Javier would know she was lying. He would smile with that knowing look he got so often with her, in private, and he would shove a sweater or blanket at her. It was an unspoken rule. He did not get to mention that he was aware she was not as cold and heartless as she made herself out to be. At least not all the time.

From Javier’s lap, Camille called over to Amelia, “Roll the di.”

Amelia shot her a wink and pulled the little square and gave it a toss.

“Billy, you’re up.”

Without hesitation, Billy vaulted over the table and launched onto the little stage. He had only gotten one turn before this and that was when the one CD started acting up, so he had not finished his song. He hit the button to play Disc 1, which had all the soundtrack hits on it. He loved soundtracks.

Billy checked the little screen and saw the lyrics come up. He hit pause to allow himself a moment, as he had erupted with laughter upon realizing what his song was. Javier was going to pee himself when Billy got this out. Amelia wouldn’t be far behind. Hitting PLAY, he took a couple breaths to try to compose himself. He didn’t have the lungs for this but he would do it anyhow.

“It’s a cold and crazy world, that’s raging outside. But baby me and all my girls are bringing on the fire. You show a little leg, gotta shimmy your chest.”, he started, making both Javier and Blaine spit their drinks while Amelia’s eyes nearly shot out of her head. Especially when he shimmied his chest.

“It’s a life. It’s a style. It’s a need. It’s Burlesque.”, he continued.

Blaine looked as though he might lose his mind, his eyes wide and mouth slight opened as he fell back into his bungee chair. Javier’s mouth hung fully open with Camille reaching to put it back in place. The man still looked dumbstruck. Amelia watched, her open mouth slowly forming to a smile as her eyes followed Billy’s movements.

“Fasten up, can you imagine what would happen if I let you close enough to touch. Step into the fantasy, you’ll never wanna leave. Baby, that’s guaranteed. It’s a passion, and emotion, it’s a fashion. Burlesque. It’ll move you, going through you. So do what I do- Burlesque. All ladies come put your gown up. Boys throw it up if you want it. Can you feel me, can you feel it? It’s Burlesque.”

The team howled as Billy jumped onto the edge of Javier’s bench, then hopped over to stand on the railing around his patio, all while dancing around to the beat and continuing to sing the Christina Aguilera song to the best of his ability. Amelia pulled out a dollar and threw it at him at one point, prompting Javier to nearly spit his drink again.

When it was over, Billy took a dramatic bow and was met with thunderous applause. Or, as thunderous as you could get with four people. He excitedly moved over to sit beside Amelia again.

“Alright, Mee, roll it.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A couple of sand dunes down, meanwhile, One reclined back on a deck chair. He had finished a third of his six-pack and was stargazing as much as he was listening to his team’s little karaoke party. He had appreciated the kid’s invitation. Truly. But like all bosses, his presence changed the tone of any gathering or event.

Since Seven’s addition, that effect had diminished somewhat. At first, One resented it. He was still the boss, even if he was nolonger the scariest person on the team. One chuckled. The moment he recruited Two, he had stopped being the scariest person on this team, so basically he never had been It.

Reclining a bit further, One continued to listen. He was pretty sure it was a Madonna song starting. He really hoped they didn’t ask Five to sing it. She had something about Madonna. One didn’t have anything against the singer, he just preferred Celine Dion. Two preferred Blondie and some French opera singer One had never heard of. Three was eclectic, he liked just about everything. He could carry a nice tune as well, and he played the guitar. Four was always playing something with a good beat, even if One found he didn’t overly care for most of the lyrics. Millennials. Seven seemed to be a classic rock fan, for the most part. Six had liked crappy 90s pop.

“Dammit.”, he muttered as he opened the third beer.

He wasn’t supposed to memorize little details about his team, like their music preference or a favorite food. They were numbers. Parts of the process. Cogs in the machine. They weren’t people. If he thought of them as people he would care too much about them, and then he would prioritize them over a mission someday.

Cleaver supposed it was too late. He had already begun seeing them as people. It had really started the night before Italy. Six had been playing a card game with Four, the two cutting up with each other as they played. Then, they lost Six and seeing Three crying and then helping Four and Five so reverently handle Six’s remains.

All of it had been tiny, little cracks in his defenses. Nothing he could not have filled up and welded over, in time. Until Seven had insisted they go back for Billy. Three could have fought back, he could have gotten both of them to take their guns off of him. But Javier had not done that, and instead opted to go back for Billy. He spotted the kid on the side of the building, speeding up Blaine’s work.

After that, Cleaver couldn’t do it. His team- Camille, Javier, Billy, Amelia, Blaine, and even the late Beaumont, along with Wally and Duke. They mattered. They were his people. They had cast off their ties to their former lives and forged a new one together. That sometimes meant they would save each other rather than complete a mission as-planned. But together, he was sure, there really wasn’t anything they could not get done.

Raising a bottle to the stars, he offered a toast. To Six- Beaumont of a blue blood family back East, who claimed he had never done a thing that mattered before in his life, until Cleaver recruited him. He had been the first, along with Billy, to bust through Cleaver’s defenses.

It didn’t take long to get to the halfway point on his bottle. He figured it was time to slow down the consumption. He could still hear Javier singing as Blaine and Billy were clearly laughing their butts off. And he knew, someplace, Duke and Wally were enjoying the same view and the same distant music and laughter filling the air. This was good. Everyone was safe, everyone was happy, and for the moment- that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> The Songs the team sings are:
> 
> Brittney Spears- GIMMIE GIMMIE(MORE)  
> Lady Gaga - BOYS BOYS BOYS  
> R.E.M. - IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD(AS WE KNOW IT)  
> Christina Aguilera - EXPRESS  
> Usher - LET IT BURN


End file.
